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Phanama · 08-17-2021, 12:55 PM

Legislators Give 'Natans' a 'No'
By Krystoph Fulden
Tuesday, 17 August 2021

The District Four Parliament Building

Natans, D4 — After a long series of debates, amendments and votes, the Natans Renaming Act — a bill proposing a new name (Natans) for District 4 — has come to rest on the floor of District 4's Legislative Council. This has put an end to the bill’s journey, which began just over a year ago.

On 31 July 2020, the Natans Renaming Act was introduced in District 4’s House of Assembly by MHA Marco Fairvale. After some amendments and rigorous debate, the bill managed to make its way through a tied vote (which was broken by the Speaker of the House) in October. Once the Natans Renaming Act was introduced in the Legislative Council, a series of back-and-forth debates between the Council and the House ensued. These were due to disagreements on matters, such as the transition period and scope of the bill's proposed changes.

As a result, a compromise bill was drafted; it was completed in June 2021 and was sent to the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council for debate and consideration. The bill was accepted in the House on Friday, after a 14-10 vote in favour of the bill. This afternoon, the Legislative Council rejected the bill after only two of the sixteen Councillors voted in favour of it, thus ending the journey of the Natans Renaming Act.

“Most residents of this province, myself included, have come to own the name 'District 4'. It has become a part of the province's culture. Had this bill been proposed in the 1980s, when the provinces were shaking off the effects of the 'District concept', maybe it would have gotten a more positive reception. Today, this bill is neither beneficial, important, nor necessary,” said Councillor Iana Leone, during the final debate on the compromise bill.

Co-author of the Natans Renaming Act, MHA Matthew Russo, commented, “It's sad to see the NRA fail to pass, but the arguments raised against it are reasonable. It would’ve been nice if Fourians got to have a say on the matter directly, but for now, 'District 4' is here to stay.”

If residents of District 4 wanted the name of their province changed, they could try to collect enough signatures for a referendum to be held; but until that happens — if that happens — the province home to Lake Natans shall continue to be known as District 4.

Phanama
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